Royal Bank of Canada Cuts Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Price Target to $79.00

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) had its target price lowered by Royal Bank of Canada from $85.00 to $79.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underperform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price suggests a potential downside of 17.28% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.40.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of WHR stock opened at $95.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $109.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool has a 1 year low of $92.54 and a 1 year high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 36.24%. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 12.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 160.0% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Whirlpool by 190.7% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Whirlpool during the third quarter worth $39,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

About Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products and services in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The company's principal products include refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and refrigerator water filters; laundry appliances, and commercial laundry products and related laundry accessories; cooking and other small domestic appliances; and dishwasher appliances and related accessories, as well as mixers.